OK, the financial crisis has finally hit home: Candy prices have been hit by inflation. I just got done cleaning out all the pennies in my desk drawer to make up 95 cents for a pack of Starburst. I'd always thought the original 85 cents was a rip off but when I needed candy, I needed candy. But when I went to the vending machine today (after already converting 10 pennies at the cashier), I immediately knew I was in trouble. The prices were off the Starburts, Skittles, Jolly Ranchers and M&Ms. I had to hit the D7 code to see the price - 95 cents.
So it was back to my desk to scrounge for more loose change. I finally had to ask a coworker for a penny to make up the 15 cents I needed. Yes, people, Iceland is at risk of defaulting on its sovereign debt and the U.S. and E.U. are nationalizing companies in droves, but it's finally hit home now. We're in for some hard times folks. It's time to buy an extra mattress.
Wii box for charity!
Baby Moo, work and school, just life in general, have kept me very busy these past few months. It's insane that the baby is already two and runs around the house singing her ABCs like no one's business. Still, I just thought I'd log on quickly to share a few things:
- After my current class, I'll have only three left to complete my masters! I'm on target to make honors, but I'll have to pull up my socks in this class because I currently have a B that could make my GPA slip.
- As J' pointed out, I've now owned a VW in every country I've ever lived :-) This past week, we traded in my stalwart G20 (with almost 200,000 miles) for a spunky 2002 Jetta 1.8T.
- Next month I start program called Leadership Bay. It's a leadership development program that's a joint venture between the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and Gulf Coast Community College. Here's the website.
- Last month I helped out with the newspaper's United Way effort for this year. This is where the title of this blog comes from because one of the fundraisers was a Wii Boxing Tournament. Here's a video about the preliminary matches and here's another with the semis, finals and our first annual Department Head Showdown. You can see me in the videos, as well as all the bloodthirsty people I work with LOL
The balance
It's funny how the cycle of life and death works. Awhile ago I was reading my co-worker's daughter-in-law's blog where she spoke of the pain she felt this past Mother's Day. Last year her and her husband lost one of their daughter's to leukemia. (Read my blog about it here: Abigail Morgan). She was talking about how the pain was almost too much to bear this year. I remember feeling a punch to my gut this year when I realized that there'd be no calling my Mom to wish her Happy Mother's Day (you think I'd know this after 5 years) and I remembered that feeling as I read her blog.
But then a few seconds later, I'm looking at one of my email accounts at a thank you letter from my cousin who I realized finished her A-level exams today. I couldn't help but smile because I remember her as a toddler barely able to see above the dinner table when she came to visit Jamaica. I remember giving her a piggy-back rides and it reminded me that as hard as it is, life does go on and God gives us his grace to balance out the pain.
But then a few seconds later, I'm looking at one of my email accounts at a thank you letter from my cousin who I realized finished her A-level exams today. I couldn't help but smile because I remember her as a toddler barely able to see above the dinner table when she came to visit Jamaica. I remember giving her a piggy-back rides and it reminded me that as hard as it is, life does go on and God gives us his grace to balance out the pain.
The role of the media
With the rampant 24-hour news cycle these days, sometimes even I feel over saturated by the same news. Its as if the media are all reporting the same thing, the same angle, the same way, all at the same time. You'd have to be under a rock to miss the disastrous earthquake that hit China earlier this week, but the angle of this CNN story struck me — maybe because I'm a parent, but I like the way the writer was able to use China's one-child policy as a catalyst to help readers understand the anguish and grief the Chinese are experiencing. It makes the event more real for those who are far away and that for me is one of the hallmarks of a well written story.
Parents' losses compounded by China's one-child policy
Story Highlights
Parents' losses compounded by China's one-child policy
Story Highlights
- NEW: Death toll could reach 50,000, according to state-run media
- China's one-child policy, implemented in 1979, has blocked 400 million births
- Many parents in limbo as they wait to learn whether their sole child is dead or alive
- Schools collapsed on thousands of children Monday when the quake hit
(Click here to read the story, it's short and to the point)
And now for the quote of the day, no make that week, from another CNN.com article:
"There are literally hundreds of situations in which a woman's gut intuition is spot-on, but she talks herself out of it so as not to make waves," Northrup said. "We women are suckers for wanting to be loved."
Taken from 5 mistakes women make at the doctor's office
"There are literally hundreds of situations in which a woman's gut intuition is spot-on, but she talks herself out of it so as not to make waves," Northrup said. "We women are suckers for wanting to be loved."
Taken from 5 mistakes women make at the doctor's office
No stopping in the name of love
Last year I did a blog post about a town in Illinois that had added humorous signs to its stop signs in an effort to get drivers to actually stop. (Read: Stop in the name of love) As it turns out, the signs are illegal. The mayor is not pleased about having to remove the $1,700 worth of signs, but it's either that or risk losing federal funding. Well, it was a good idea at the time LOL (Read: No more 'love' in stop signs)
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